The best way to practice putting at home? Me and My Golf Breaking Ball Putting Mat Review
Published: Last updated:
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At a glance
- TG Rating
- Owner Rating
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Pros
- Excellent quality
- Good markings
- Option to practice breaking putts
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Cons
- A little more expensive than comparable mats
- RRP £99.99
What we say...
I review the Breaking Ball Putting Mat to see if this product from Me and My Golf is the best way to practice putting at home.
Most golfers know that their scores would improve if they spent more time working on their short game and less time hitting balls on the driving range. But few of us have the discipline to spend time on the putting green when we’re at the golf club and the temptation to hit balls or go on the course is just yards away.
The solution could be a home putting mat. I’ve known several golfers absolutely transform their putting – and consequently their handicaps – by doing regular putting practice at home.
As someone who has struggled with my putting a bit over the last couple of years, and with the practice putting green at my home club currently being replaced, I was excited to give the Me and My Golf Breaking Ball Putting Mat a try.
It’s from YouTube coaches Piers Ward and Andy Proudman, who say it’s “The most significant advancement in home putting since the putting mat”.
Me and My Golf Breaking Ball Putting Mat – my review
The mat comes rolled up in a drawstring bag for easy storage and transportation.
With memories of my mum trying to iron an incredibly creased Subbuteo mat when I was a kid, I was pleased to see the Breaking Ball Putting Mat was completely free of creases when I unrolled it.
The mat is thick and quite weighty. The surface felt rougher than I expected but rolls at a good pace – apparently it’s around 11 on the Stimpmeter.
There are two sizes available: 7.5ft (2.3m) and 11ft (3.4m). I tried the latter and found it ideal. Any longer and you’d be getting to the range where you can’t expect to hole more than 50% of putts anyway, and as the great Dr Bob Rotella says, you don’t want to practice missing putts. I think the shorter version would be fine if you’re limited on space and are happy to only practice six-footers and shorter, but bear in mind that the space beyond the hole is also reduced on the 7.5’ model, which is fine if you want to practice putting at dead weight but not if you like to hit putts with enough pace to go past the hole.
I found the black shows up dirt quite a lot, although that probably wouldn’t be an issue if you don’t have a fluffy light-haired dog like I do.
I thought I’d need some kind of ‘hole’ device (like a PuttOut) to make using the mat more engaging, but actually I’ve found it perfectly satisfying to roll the ball over the middle of the target and ideally along the black line that extends beyond it, telling me I’ve got the right pace and line.
Breaking Balls
The USP of the Breaking Ball Putting Mat is the balls, which are designed to help you practice breaking putts. The balls have a screw in the side which makes them curve once hit. Three different colors represent different amounts of break: the green ball has a slight break, the red ball has a medium break, and the blue ball has a severe break. The ball will break towards whichever side the screw is on, so you can practice left-to-right or right-to-left breaking putts.
Me and My Golf say: “Over 90% of putts are affected by the slope on the putting green, so why do we practice straight putts? Use our revolutionary breaking golf balls with our unique putting mat and improve your short game.
“By using the breaking balls, you get real-time feedback on your putts. Understanding the right amount of pace on a breaking putt. Where to start your putt depending on the break. Discover your tendencies on left-to-right or right-to-left breaks; if you push or pull your putts, you’ll know instantly.”
It’s a nice idea, but for me it doesn’t quite hit the mark.
As far as I’m concerned, good putting is about being able to read greens well enough to choose the right line and then being able to roll your ball on that line at the correct pace. If you can choose the correct line, every putt effectively becomes a straight putt. I don’t hit a putt with break any different to how I’d hit a straight putt – I just aim them differently. When I hit a putt with break on the course, I’m still trying to hit the ball straight, and then let the slope do its thing.
So I’ve always viewed home putting practice as about working on starting your ball straight and at the right pace. I don’t really see the need to practice with balls that curve and have just been using normal balls instead.
That said, the breaking balls do work exactly as intended, and they feel like any normal golf ball. There are also color-coded marks on the mat to teach you how far left or right you need to aim for each ball with its different amount of break.
Conclusion
The Breaking Ball Putting Mat is excellent quality and does everything you could ask for. It is a little expensive compared to similar putting mats, which is only justifiable if you think the breaking balls are worthwhile.
Alternative models
The price of the Breaking Ball Putting Mat is a little higher than some other putting mats (£99.99 for the 7.5′ and £139.99 for the 11′), so if you’re not intending to use the breaking balls, check out the PuttOut Putting Mat or Pure2Improve 3.0 Putting Mat in our list of the best putting mats as they’ll save you some money.
Or you can go all out and get the Chriiena Putting Green, which features actual holes, or the Perfect Practice Perfect Putting Mat, which has two different-sized holes and a ramp that returns your ball to you after each putt.
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About the author
Rob McGarr – Contributing Editor
Rob has been a writer and editor for over 15 years, covering all manner of subjects for leading magazines and websites.
He has previously been Features Editor of Today’s Golfer magazine and Digital Editor of todays-golfer.com, and held roles at FHM, Men’s Running, Golf World, and MAN Magazine.
You can follow him on YouTube where – depending on what day of the week it is – he’ll either be trying his best to get his handicap down to scratch or shoving his clubs in a cupboard, never to be seen again.
Rob is a member at Royal North Devon, England’s oldest golf course, where he plays off a three-handicap.
